Today was the day that the Coast Guard was
suppose to accept the ship that is mentioned in
the article, but there seems to a billion dollar
problem with the ship as it is hemorrhaging
classified information and the Coast Guard as yet
to pull their head-out-of-their-behind.
You simply do not install faulty, uncertified
equipment on a highly classified communications
system, have unqualified people inspect it, have
other unqualified people cover it up, and then
have your public relations people start churning
up bogus press releases about how secure the insecure systems are.
The bottom line is that the ship leaks.
Kafka should work for the PR department of the Coast Guard.
-jma
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/02/coastguard_bertholf_delays_080226w/
C4ISR problems could delay cutter construction
By Philip Ewing - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Feb 26, 2008 18:59:48 EST
The Coast Guard may endure more delays in
completing its inaugural national security
cutter, the Bertholf, because of shielding and
security problems with the shipÂ’s command and
communications suite, according to an
announcement posted Monday on a Coast Guard Web site.
Inspections by the Coast Guard, contractors and
the NavyÂ’s Space and Naval Warfare Systems
Command have “identified discrepancies that will
be added to the list of [information assurance]
remediation actions that need to be completed
prior to final onboard testing,” the announcement
said. “While there is some risk to Bertholf’s
delivery schedule posed by resolution of these
remediation actions, the government and industry
are working collaboratively and proactively to aggressively address this risk.”
The news was the first time the Coast Guard
appeared to confirm rumors, simmering for weeks
around Capitol Hill and on the Internet, that the
systems aboard the Bertholf did not comply with
federal and Department of Defense
information-security standards, known as TEMPEST.
Spokespeople for the Coast Guard and contractor
Lockheed Martin had separately denied to Navy
Times that there would be problems with the C4ISR systems on the ship.
The announcement, signed by Rear Adm. David T.
Glenn, assistant commandant and technical
authority for Command, Control, Communications
and Information Technology; and Capt. Leonard L.
Ritter Jr. of the Office of Cyber Security and
Telecommunications, appeared on the “Coast Guard
Journal” blog, which debuted earlier in February
with the redesigned Coast Guard Web site.
In an interview Tuesday with Navy Times, Ritter
said that the “issues and discrepancies” included
such things as cables not yet being grounded and
tables or bulkheads not shielded enough to
protect transmissions emanating from the
communications gear. Some of the “issues” came
from inspections that took place before the
systems were installed. Ritter said senior Coast
Guard officials and Integrated Coast Guard
Systems would have to work out the details about
whether those issues would delay the BertholfÂ’s
delivery, which is scheduled for this spring, and
whether they would be repaired before or after
the Coast Guard accepted the ship.
ICGS spokeswoman Megan Mitchell said she expected
the ship to adhere to its planned spring delivery and summer commissioning
“There is no risk to the Bertholf’s delivery
schedule, and we are working with the Coast Guard
to make sure the ship is delivered on schedule,”
Mitchell said. From the perspective of the joint
Lockheed Martin-Northrop Grumman concern, she
said, the shipÂ’s construction was proceeding apace.
Whether or not there are delays, the ship will be
in “special commission status” when it enters the
fleet, so that it can operate the systems it
needs to get from the yard in Pascagoula, Miss.,
to its new homeport in Alameda, Calif. Until it
satisfies the TEMPEST and information assurance
requirements, the cutter cannot take on any Coast Guard missions.
Coast Guard officials have said theyÂ’re pleased
with the way the BertholfÂ’s other systems,
including its engines and weapons, performed on
test trips into the Gulf of Mexico.
Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Thad Allen, asked
Feb. 14 after his annual state of the Coast Guard
about the rumors of problems with the Bertholf,
said he knew the cutter would only be able to
take on its full mission set after it satisfied
its “information assurance” requirements, but
that he was confident the ship would be the
lifesaving serviceÂ’s best-ever first-in-class cutter.
Ritter said he believes thatÂ’s still the case.
“This is a: ‘here is the truth, we’re putting it
out,’” Ritter said. “If we had published an
article that said: ‘National security cutter,
everything works on it, itÂ’s the greatest thing
since sliced bread’ — for one thing, everybody
would rip that apart. But if youÂ’re gonna say up
front that, hey, this is a great cutter, itÂ’s
gone through builderÂ’s trials and machinery
trials, and actually itÂ’s done pretty good on the
systems that were operating then, and weÂ’re
really excited about adding this capability to
our fleet. We know there are still some things to
be worked on, but thatÂ’s not unusual, but we want
people to know there are some things that need to
be addressed, and we’re addressing them.”
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
World Class, Professional, Ethical, and Competent Bug Sweeps, and
Wiretap Detection using Sophisticated Laboratory Grade Test Equipment.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
James M. Atkinson Phone: (978) 546-3803
Granite Island Group Fax: (978) 546-9467
127 Eastern Avenue #291 Web:
http://www.tscm.com/
Gloucester, MA 01931-8008 E-mail: mailto:jm..._at_tscm.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We perform bug sweeps like it's a full contact sport, we take no prisoners,
and we give no quarter. Our goal is to simply, and completely stop the spy.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Received on Sat Mar 02 2024 - 00:57:18 CST